Walking Dead 115 Getting 2nd Print

Here’s the deal fellas, comic book sales are tricky. When the report from USA today comes out that says that Walking Dead 115 has sold 352,000 copies and is going back into second printings, I cock an eyebrow and wonder who is being served by this. The book came out on Wednesday and I can tell you with certainty that NOBODY is having trouble finding a copy. My shop ordered 40 copies of every cover. That’s 40×15. 600 copies of a single issue. How many of those 352,000 issues have actually sold at the retailer level? I can’t imagine that this is a scarce issue in any town in America yet. Going to a second print already is simply flooding the market.

On the other side of the spectrum, Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare’s Rocket Girl also sold out at Diamond and is getting a second print. I don’t have a problem with this, because I don’t think many stores ordered as heavily on that title. Folks might be finding the amazing word of mouth that’s spreading regarding the title online (like our review here, which Amy retweeted because she’s a goddamn sweetheart and an amazing person) or the little segment on the Pop and Schlock Podcast episode 2 where it made the “This Week In Pop Culture” segment.

I’m not going to say that the Walking Dead’s sales aren’t impressive, it is after all the best selling comic of the year now. But that is really only because it has fifteen different covers that retailers ordered in bulk. I’m sure many stores will be sitting on copies a year from now. Before issue 115 came along, the best selling comic of the year was Justice League of America # 1 which sold around 308,000 copies with their “One Variant For Every State” gimmick.

All I’m saying is, look at the smaller books that sell out at diamond. Stuff like Rocket Girl and Rat Queens, because those aren’t sitting on shelves. They’re getting reprints because they need them. I find myself confused by Walking Dead 115 going to a new printing this quickly. Sometimes I just don’t understand the comics business.